


past is prologue

by discoveriesofbishmont (AlexiaBlackbriar13)



Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV), All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Genre: Bishop-Clairmont Family, Bishop-Clairmont Scion, Brightborn Twins, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Meet the Family, Mild Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Set Post-The Book of Life, Timewalking, Weaver Powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2019-10-06 22:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexiaBlackbriar13/pseuds/discoveriesofbishmont
Summary: Diana timewalks Matthew, the twins and herself back to 1981 to meet and spend a weekend with her parents. Rebecca and Stephen are delighted to have the chance to properly get to know their daughter's husband and children.On top of the tension wrought by the fact they have to try not to distort the timeline in any way, Diana's spellbinding hangs over the family like a shadow.Spoilers for all 3 books in the All Souls Trilogy, but not Time's Convert.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this one for a while. It got so long that I had to split it into 3 parts. Not sure when I'll be posting the 2nd and 3rd parts, but hopefully won't be too long a wait.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Spoilers for all 3 books in the All Souls Trilogy, but not Time's Convert - this is set before Time's Convert's events.

The idea came to Diana when she was woken up at 2am one night after a nightmare about her parents by Matthew sliding out of bed, to tend to their crying seven-month-old brightborn twins. She stared up at the canopy of their bed in the vampire’s tower at Sept-Tours; the Bishop-Clairmont family were spending a couple of weeks in France as Diana had been needed in Venice for several Congregation meetings, requiring her to travel back and forth. 

As she mulled over the dream about her mother and father, the witch was hit with the realization that if Rebecca Bishop had foreseen she would find Matthew, her shadow prince and dark king, then her mother probably would have known about the twins as well. She’d been talented when it came to second sight - it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

If Rebecca hadn’t seen it in a vision, she would have been told about Diana and Matthew having children anyway by Stephen. When living in Blackfriars in 1591, the two of them had bumped into Diana’s timewalking father and they’d spent a couple of days with him. Diana had been early in a pregnancy back then that Stephen had found out about, but she’d miscarried shortly after; her father still knew that Diana could bear Matthew’s children. It was hard to believe that Stephen wouldn’t have informed Rebecca of this when returning to his present, as he’d informed them of Diana’s mother worries about her daughter’s future.

But even if Rebecca and Stephen had known about Diana and Matthew’s children, they’d died two and a half decades before the twins were born.

They’d never had the chance to meet them, hold them, fuss over them as doting grandparents as Diana knew they would have.

Well, Diana was going to give them that chance.

She presented her plan to Matthew the next morning over breakfast, when Ysabeau and Marthe were taking the twins out for a walk around the mornings. Well, they said ‘walk’. The twins were developed enough to crawl around now, which was rather terrifying for their parents, as both of them were incredibly fast and had a knack for finding small nooks and crannies to hide out in; they’d definitely inherited some of their father’s vampiric traits in regard to speed and stealth.

Diana knew there was a low chance of them being eavesdropped on, as the only two other creatures on the property were currently babysitting. Marcus, Phoebe, Miriam, and Jack were in New Haven with Chris completing more blood rage tests, and Sarah was staying in Florence with Fernando, waiting for Agatha to finish up with the Congregation so they could continue their adventure around Italy. Diana didn’t want anybody overhearing, only because she knew her family and friends would immediately protest against what she was suggesting.

Matthew surprised her. She was expecting him to tell her it was too dangerous to mess with the fabric of time, that although it was a wonderful concept, there would undoubtedly be unpredictable consequences. Instead, he sipped at his glass of wine, thoroughly thinking over her proposal, and then the vampire agreed, “All right. We’ll obviously need to do some proper research about it, and make certain arrangements to cover our bases. But if you honestly feel that it’s within your capabilities to safely timewalk Becca, Phillip and I back to meet your mother and father, without impacting any of our present timelines... then I will stand behind you, Diana. You know I trust you implicitly.”

And so the plan was implemented, and the efforts required to execute it without fault or error began.

They first needed to decide when exactly Diana was going to timewalk them back to, and this ended up being choosing a specific date. Matthew scoured the scientific journals of Stephen Proctor’s they’d found at the Bishop house for information, while Diana called her aunt and subtly tried to fish for information about her parents’ busy lives when she was a child.

It was clear to them both that they needed to visit Rebecca and Stephen after Diana’s father’s trip to 1591, and they needed to meet with them privately. That meant that child!Diana couldn’t be present; neither could Sarah or Em. Then came the matter of the method of displacement that was associated with timewalking.

If Diana timewalked back to a time where she was alive, she would displace that time’s Diana and take her place until disappearing back to the present. If child!Diana went missing at all, for any period of time, whether that be short or long, that could impact her personal timeline. When Matthew had displaced 1590’s Matthew when they’d timewalked back, it hadn’t impacted the timeline too much as it had been over 500 years ago, after he’d been reborn as a vampire. But if Diana displaced her child self, there could be direct effects. That wouldn’t work for their plan, obviously, as they didn’t want any fluctuations in Diana’s timeline to occur that could result in differences in their current lives. They needed to find a way to keep both Dianas separate.

Diana was pondering on this one evening while she was feeding Becca. Her daughter required blood for developmental growth and although she was being successfully weaned off fully concentrated blood by using a mixture of it and breastmilk or solids, Becca still took blood directly from Diana’s veins from time to time. Philip needed blood as well, but not as much as his sister.

At seven months old, however, the twins were teething. The witch winced as Becca’s two front teeth (which were unnaturally sharp for a baby) nipped at the delicate skin of her elbow, where she’d taken to feeding her brightborn children from.

Ysabeau watched her carefully from the other side of the parlor, where she had Philip tucked into her arm and was feeding him breastmilk from a bottle. A deep frown formed on her face as she watched Diana squirm, trying to adjust Becca to stop the baby from digging her teeth into the cut she’d opened up for her to drink from.

Diana always needed to have somebody else present when she was feeding the twins blood. Marcus had put the rule in place after she’d nearly fainted from dizziness after accidentally overfeeding Becca and losing too much blood. Becca had vampiric hunger, but as a baby, she didn’t know how to tell when her thirst for blood was quenched. If Diana didn’t stop her, the baby would just keep on drinking. Somebody always remained nearby now, to ensure that the witch was safe and didn’t overextend herself. Matthew was out hunting and Marthe was cooking dinner in the kitchens, so Diana’s mother-in-law was on duty today.

“Isn’t there a spell you could use to temporarily blunt her teeth, to stop them from catching?” Ysabeau asked, when Becca bit in so hard that Diana hissed in pain.

“I’m a weaver, Ysabeau, there’s a spell for _everything_ when it comes to me,” she answered absentmindedly. Her eyes widened. “That’s it.”

She could weave a spell to ensure that the two Dianas’ time threads remained separate. Diana had learned several knots to do with isolating and disconnecting certain threads and realities. Surely she could construct an enchantment of some sort to stop her from displacing child!Diana when timewalking.

She informed Matthew when he returned from hunting and they were tucking the twins into their cradles. He told her it sounded like a genius idea. “Do you think you would be able to stop the displacement happening when it comes to me as well?” Matthew questioned, stroking over Becca’s forehead gently in the precise way that made her drowsy almost instantly.

“Give me an hour or two to work on some knots tonight,” Diana said. “I’ll try and work something out.”

It was past midnight by the time the witch had finally designed a spell that would almost encase the four members of their family in a small dimensional pocket when timewalking, so their timelines would continue on separately from child!Diana’s and younger Matthew’s, not interfering with them. It would ensure that they didn’t displace their past selves at all, but also reduce any impact on the fabric in time, as they were going to exist outside the current threads of time being laid down. It was definitely one of the most complicated weavings she’d ever completed, and that was without actually executing the spell.

Diana’s fingers tingled and ached with how many knots she’d needed to make between different threads, sometimes even having to bend reality to entwine certain threads that weren’t usually able to be laced together.

Matthew, who had been insisting she go to sleep and finish the spell tomorrow, sighed in relief when she finally joined him in bed. Curling himself around her, the vampire pressed his chest to her back and wrapped his arms around her waist with a gentle purr of contentment. Just as Diana was about to drift off to sleep, however, Philip began howling across the room. Matthew groaned against her shoulder, his cold breath causing the hairs on the back of the witch’s neck to stand on end. Seconds later, Becca started whimpering, her tiny arms flailing over the edge of the cradle.

Both of the twins had hauled themselves to their feet and were standing steadily as they waited for their father to attend to them. Even when Matthew lifted them up into his arms, quietly singing a French lullaby to them, they didn’t stop crying.

“Bring them here,” Diana said tiredly, scooting up on the bed to lean against the backboard. “They’re probably hungry. There’s a bottle prepared down in the kitchens for Becca with a mix of milk and blood. I can feed Philip from my breast.”

“You’re exhausted, Diana, you should sleep,” Matthew argued.

“Our children need to be fed, Matthew. They come first.”

Luckily Matthew brought an extra bottle up for Philip, as Diana had fallen unconscious by the time he returned, Philip and Becca sitting calmly in the middle of the bed next to her.

Diana slept for a full eleven hours and didn’t wake up until near noon the next day. When she finally stumbled downstairs to the parlor, still dressed in the shorts and t-shirt she wore as pajamas with Matthew’s blue cashmere sweater over the top, Matthew was sitting on the floor playing with the twins. Ysabeau and to her surprise, Sarah, were also seated on the carpet with Philip and Becca on their laps. They were pushing a bouncy ball between them. The twins seemed to be enjoying the activity, because they were giggling and babbling happily, clapping their hands.

“Good morning, _mon coeur_ ,” Matthew greeted her.

“Good morning,” she bent down to plant a kiss on his lips, before joining her family on the floor. “Sarah, I didn’t realize you were coming. When did you fly in this morning? How was Florence?”

“Florence was amazing. You’ll have to get Matthew to take you there one day,” Sarah said, adjusting Becca on her thighs so the baby could lean forwards to poke the ball to her brother. “Baldwin was heading to London so dropped me off in the helicopter a couple hours ago. I’m never going to get used to the de Clermont lifestyle where you can have a private plane at your disposal within twenty minutes if you need it.”

“I thought you and Agatha were going to continue your tour of Italy after the Congregation meetings finish at the end of the week,” Diana commented, confused.

Sarah waved her hand. “We’re going to rearrange it. I came as soon as possible after Ysabeau called to tell me you and Matthew are secretly planning some timewalking trip with the twins. Considering the phone calls I’ve been getting from you recently, I’m guessing this mission involves your parents.”

“How…” Diana turned to her mother-in-law, an expression of annoyance and bewilderment flashing over her face. “Matthew and I were so careful to make sure you didn’t overhear!”

“Nobody keeps secrets within the walls of Sept-Tours - except me,” Ysabeau sniffed. She watched with a faint smile as Philip crawled off her lap, slowly making the way across the room towards his mother and making little determined huffing noises. Diana swept him up into her arms as soon as he was within reach, laughing softly as he giggled and buried his face in her neck. “It wasn’t difficult to deduce you and Matthew were trying to hide something once Marthe and I realized you were distracting us with Rebecca and Philip. You spent the entire evening yesterday weaving a timewalking spell. You always smell of rowan berries and static electricity when you’re manipulating the threads of time.”

“I do?” the witch glanced over at her husband for confirmation. Matthew nodded with a small shrug. “We were only keeping it secret because we didn’t know for sure if we were actually going through with it. We have been talking about timewalking with the twins to visit my parents, so they get to meet their grandparents, but it’s a complex concept. There’s a very specific timeframe I need to aim for, and we needed to find a way to reduce any impact on the timeline before committing to the plan.”

Sarah quirked an eyebrow. “Well, if you’d got your heads out of your asses and actually asked for help, treating the Bishop-Clairmont scion as family rather than some sort of secret society, you’d know that I can provide you with valuable information. I already know precisely what time you, Matthew and the twins should timewalk to.”

Matthew startled. “How?”

“In 1981, when Diana was five years old, Rebecca and Stephen asked if they could have the Bishop house to themselves the weekend after New Years,” Sarah informed them. “They said they were expecting special visitors. Em and I took Diana to Niagara Falls for three days so they could have the place to themselves. We never found out what they got up to over that weekend, or who their visitors were. Em’s scrying was always unsuccessful. All we knew was that one of them was a creature who wasn’t a witch, and there were children. Diana’s toys were all over the floor when we arrived back and her old baby bottles were in the sink.”

Diana blinked in shock as Matthew sat up straighter beside her, at attention. “That’s after your father timewalked back to 1591 and saw us, so that fits into the timeframe,” he murmured to her, before turning to Sarah and asking curtly, “You think that was us?”

Sarah nodded. “It makes sense.”

As her husband continued to pepper her aunt with questions, Diana could only sit in disbelief, rolling this information over in her mind. Her parents had known they wanted to timewalk and visit them. That meant they had to know about the twins. And they’d arranged a whole weekend of undisturbed privacy so that the Bishop-Clairmonts could stay. Diana didn’t realize her eyes had filled with tears until Philip whimpered, raising one of his tiny pudgy hands to touch her cheek gently, wiping away the wetness there, while his other hand tugged on her sweater collar, his early emerging vampiric strength almost tearing the soft fabric.

“Diana?” Matthew said softly, reaching out to hold her hand.

“I’m going to call Baldwin,” Diana told him, “To ask him if he can take my place for the Congregation meeting in two days. I want us to leave tomorrow. I want us to timewalk back so we can spend the next three days with my parents. Is that possible? Can we arrange that?”

“We can definitely arrange that,” Ysabeau spoke up. Her gaze was fierce as she glanced between the two of them. “Matthew, you will need to make calls to cancel your appearance at that biomedical conference in Vienna on Saturday. I’ll contact Marcus to tell him you won’t be able to be reached for the next three days. Diana, you’ll need three items specifically connected to 1981, correct? I’ll send runners out to find suitable objects immediately.”

Touched that her mother-in-law was so quick to offer her assistance, Diana reassured her, “Thank you, Ysabeau, but I don’t the three items will be necessary. 1981 isn’t that far back in time and I’ve developed my powers since the last time Matthew and I timewalked… I should easily be able to get the four of us to the past and back - with some clothes for us, and bags for the twins. I can’t imagine my mother and father will have any diapers in the house, even if they do have some of my old baby stuff.”

“Will you be okay transporting that back with us?” Matthew asked worriedly.

Diana plucked at her personal Time thread, which twanged with a strong melodic sound like a harp string. “I could probably bring their cradles along if I wanted to.”

Matthew swept to his feet, plucking Philip from Diana’s lap and Becca from Sarah’s arms. The twins needed to be fed and burped, and then it was time for them to take naps. “We should start packing, and get ready to timewalk tomorrow then. I’ll call Marcus, _Maman_. Diana, I can call Baldwin for you as well, if you’d like.”

“Thank you. I don’t think I could survive another lecture from him about checking my emails.”

The rest of the day was spent making preparations. Marthe and Sarah helped pack bags for each of the twins, filled with their clothes, diapers, bibs, burp cloths, pacifiers and a lot more. It was as Diana was aiding them by gathering Becca and Philip’s belongings that she began to realize just how much stuff the babies had. She and Matthew, in comparison, only needed three changes of clothes. The witch debated taking some spell ingredients with her but reckoned that the Bishop house would have everything she would ever need. Her parents most likely stocked it just as well as Sarah and Em had.

According to Matthew, Baldwin was not very happy by their sudden decision to timewalk but would stand in for Diana in the Congregation meetings. Jack was a little disappointed he wasn’t able to come with them but was in the middle of a round of genetic tests being conducted by Chris. Marcus just wanted Matthew to take blood samples from all four of them before the timewalk and after, to see whether there were any changes in their biological systems by the shift. Matthew was interested in that as well, so was happy to oblige.

By ten am the next day, the twins were bundled up in adorable snowsuits, in Diana’s arms while Matthew carried the three bags (one for Becca, one for Philip and one for him and Diana) they were taking back with them. It would be snowing in Madison in 1981 when they arrived, so it was vital for them to wrap up in warm, comfortable clothes. The morning was a relaxed one - Matthew went hunting again so he wouldn’t have to feed while they were staying at the Bishop house in the past, and Diana fed blood to both Becca and Philip for the same reason. Philip would be fine for the next three days, but Becca would probably need blood again in some form. Due to that, they decided to pack up a couple of bottles for each of them, with mixtures of breastmilk and blood.

They headed out into the gardens together to make their goodbyes. Ysabeau, Marthe and Sarah hugged them all, wishing them good luck.

“Before you leave and timewalk back here to the present - and I mean right before - would you give this to Rebecca?” Sarah asked quietly, handing over an envelope to the vampire. “I made sure not to include too many spoilers for what’s to come, although I would bet that my sister already knew far more about the future than she ever let on at that point. I just want her to know how much I love her… _loved_ her, one more time. One _last_ time.”

“Of course, Sarah,” Matthew said softly. “I would be honored to deliver it.”

To everybody’s surprise, the witch went up onto her tiptoes to hug him. Blinking, Matthew embraced Sarah back, his eyes meeting Diana’s over her aunt’s shoulder. Diana gave him a small nod, shifting the twins in her grasp. The wistful tone of Sarah’s voice whenever they’d talked about the timewalking trip over the last day had made it obvious to both of them that Sarah desperately wanted to travel back in time with them to see her sister again, but knew that she couldn’t, and she didn’t want to intrude on their family time. Diana silently vowed to take Sarah timewalking in the future to try and see Rebecca again.

“Stay safe,” Ysabeau said, kissing her grandchildren on their foreheads before kissing both of Diana’s cheeks. “And you, Matthew,” she turned to her son. “Don’t get on the wrong side of your wife’s parents. I’ve heard they were formidable witches.”

“ _Très puissant_.” Marthe nodded. “Almost as powerful as your Diana. Step carefully.”

“He’s won my father over already, it’s my mother he needs to be concerned about,” Diana chuckled.

“And from what Stephen told us when he met us in the Blackfriars, your mother is the more overprotective parent,” Matthew remembered.

Diana patted his arm. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she doesn’t curse you.”

“Is that something I should be worried about?” the vampire questioned, his voice tight and high with concern.

Sarah rolled her eyes. “No. Diana’s only teasing you, Matthew. Rebecca is going to love you.”

“Especially as you gave her two wonderful grandchildren,” Marthe added.

Ysabeau inclined her head in agreement with an amused expression, commenting, “Yes, the existences of Becca and Philip do slightly lessen the urge to strangle you when you’re being _un imbécile têtu_.”

“Thank you for the reassurance, _Maman_ ,” Matthew shot his mother a withering look. “Don’t you have spells you need to cast, _mon coeur_?”

Diana nodded. She’d decided to weave the pocket dimension spell to ensure no temporal displacement would occur before they timewalked so that it would activate as soon as they stepped into the time tunnel. After much contention, the witch had also decided to wear a glamour; if they were truly going to try and maintain the timeline, Stephen and Rebecca couldn’t be allowed to see the weaver’s cords in Diana’s hands, or the Tree and Book of Life she’d absorbed into her skin. Once all the enchantments had been laid down, and she had assurances from both Ysabeau and Sarah that her glamour was in place and wasn’t too noticeable, the Bishop-Clairmonts were left alone to make the trip.

“Make sure you’re touching me,” Diana told Matthew. She adjusted the twins on her hips again. They were both getting heavy and her back was beginning to ache. She might have to enquire after a chiropractor soon. “As long as we’re all in contact, we’ll be able to make the passage together.” Matthew settled his left hand lightly on her shoulder, his right securing their bags. “It’s going to take longer to get there because there are four of us, and you’ll probably feel nauseous. Whatever you do, don’t hold your breath. Got it?”

“Got it,” he nodded. “Let’s go.”

They lifted their feet in sync. Diana propelled them through time, her stomach twisting as they were squeezed through the vortex tunnel, hurtling away from the present and into the past. It took a shorter amount of time than she was expecting for them to reach the point in the timeline they needed to hop out. When the two of them placed their feet on the ground again, the heels of their shoes slamming down, it was into snowy leaf litter rather than a pristine grass lawn.

They’d made it. They were in 1981.

Matthew bent over, looking even paler than usual, which Diana would have thought impossible. He took a couple of deep breaths, fighting back the urge to throw up, and then dropped the bags to snatch their crying children from the witch so she could stagger to the nearest frost-crusted tree and retch. Although their time travel journey had been fast, it had been turbulent. Her head was spinning with both queasiness and sudden exhaustion. The timewalk with the four of them had utterly drained her energy and left a gaping hole in her magical reserves. Becca and Philip had obviously experienced some of the awful motion sickness as well because their crying had developed into wailing. Neither of them had been sick on their vampire father yet, although they looked about ready to.

Diana scooped Philip from Matthew’s arms, cuddling the baby to her chest and murmuring, “I know, sweetheart, I know. I’m sorry the bad time travel made you feel icky.” She brushed her finger across his forehead gently, whispering a soothing spell. He quietened down instantly, his fingers in his mouth and head resting on her shoulder. Reaching across to Becca, Diana did the same for her daughter. Becca whimpered but snuggled into her father’s arms, comforted. “There you go, honey. Mommy’s sorry her magic was nasty.” She shot Matthew an apologetic look. “I really am sorry. I didn’t think it would be that rough.”

“You got us here safely and all in one piece, that’s all that matters,” Matthew said. Lifting his chin, he scented the air carefully. They were surrounded by forest, the trees and ground blanketed by a good several inches of snow; there wasn’t much wind, but the air was frigid and biting. Diana was glad she was wearing a coat, and the twins were in their snowsuits. “Your hair has changed color again.”

Diana pulled a lock of her hair around so she could examine it. Her hair had changed from its usual reddish-gold to light blonde, with a couple of shimmering silver streaks. “I was hoping to be a dark brunette this time.” Something about timewalking always resulted in her hair color shifting. She’d started ticking off the colors off in a sort of fun game of bingo. “Where are we?”

“We’re about a mile away from the Bishop house, in the back of Madison woods. Good navigating, _mon coeur_.”

“Let’s get walking then. Becca and Philip shouldn’t be out in the snow too long, and -” She lifted her son up, sniffing him. “- Philip definitely needs his diaper changed soon.”

They traipsed through the woods together, Matthew leading the way as he knew what direction the Bishop house was in. Diana could faintly tell as well; the house had a very specific magical signature that her own magic was easily able to recognize, and was actually drawn towards. The vampire insisted on carrying all three bags while also holding Becca, leaving the witch to carry Philip. He was still upset by the timewalking but rested calmly in his mother’s arms once he had a pacifier in his mouth. Becca peered over Matthew’s shoulder, watching them curiously as Diana and Philip fell in a step behind the vampire.

Diana paused in confusion when she saw a strange, glowing gold line in the snow on the forest floor, cutting through the trees. It was radiating familiar magic she recognized as her father’s, but she couldn’t work out what it was for.

“Matthew, wait!” she called out, alarmed as her husband stepped over it with their daughter, but nothing happened.

Matthew turned around, frowning. “Everything all right?”

“You didn’t feel anything?” she asked worriedly. Approaching, Diana cautiously shifted Philip on her hip so she could kneel down and examine the gold line. “Can you see this line? It’s like… a boundary.”

“No,” the vampire answered. “I can’t see anything. I can sense magic and smell it - it smells like your father - but I can’t see any boundary line there.”

Matthew held Philip while Diana ran her finger along the line, carefully brushing her own magic up against her father’s. It was indeed a magical boundary as she’d suspected, meant to protect the property and keep out strangers. It was a spell Stephen had woven himself, she could tell. The only people allowed to cross the line were her parents, Em, Sarah, Diana, Matthew, and anybody from their bloodlines, proving to the witch that her mother had foreseen their arrival. Diana quickly altered the spell to allow only Philip and Becca inside; she didn’t want Marcus, any of his sons and daughters, or goddess forbid, Benjamin being able to get into the house.

“My parents are definitely expecting us,” she told Matthew, once she’d straightened up, dusted herself off and taken back Philip. “My father included us and members of our bloodlines in his property protection ward. They have to know about the twins.”

“That’s good,” Matthew offered. “At least it won’t be an immense shock to them. Can you imagine how astonished you would be if either Becca or Philip suddenly timewalked back to visit us as an adult, with their mate and children, while you were raising them as a toddler?”

Diana chewed her lip anxiously. She didn’t want to think about the twins presenting witch powers yet. So far, at the age of seven months, neither of them had shown very much magical aptitude, but considering their bloodline - they were Bishops, after all - Diana knew it was only a matter of time. As a weaver, she could pass on any number of magical genetic traits to the twins. They could even be weavers themselves; in fact, it was highly likely they were. Because of that, she wouldn’t be surprised if one of her children possessed the ability to timewalk.

She flinched when Matthew gently caressed her cold cheek with his even colder thumb. The bags were swinging from his elbow, knocking both of their knees, but he didn’t care. “I was just joking, Diana. I doubt that’s ever going to happen.”

“It could,” she said, her throat thick.

“But there’s no point worrying about what’s going to happen in the future with the twins, when they’re here with us now in the present,” Matthew replied, his voice tender. He frowned. “In the past. They _are_ with us in the past and _were_ in the present. Timewalking always messes with my tense understanding.”

Diana laughed softly.

“There, see?” The pad of his thumb swiped over her lips, a warm smile on his face. “That’s better. You’re about to see your parents again, and introduce them to your husband and children. Only smiles are allowed today, _ma lionne_. Anybody who makes you cry has to deal with me.”

“And if I cry from happiness?”

The vampire cocked his head. “They’ll still have to deal with me, but they’ll be treated with hugs instead of threats.”

Philip squealed and reached up to slap his hands to his father’s face, grabbing a hold of his shirt. Becca began to babble, clawing at Matthew’s shoulder to try and get to Diana. The two of them swapped children and continued their trek towards the Bishop house. As they got closer and closer, Diana could sense her father’s magic growing stronger. Stephen no doubt already knew they’d arrived on the property.

“Your father is calling our names,” Matthew informed her, as they approached the edge of the woods, which the Bishop house was located only twenty feet from. “He’s standing on the porch, waiting for us.”

“Stay back here with the twins,” she requested, transferring Becca into his arms and taking the three bags. “We shouldn’t overwhelm them all at once. I’ll shout when it’s okay for you to come.”

Her husband nodded. “All right. Be quick, though. We don’t want Becca and Philip catching colds.”

Diana kissed him firmly on the lips and then dropped kisses on the twins’ foreheads. Leaving them hidden behind the bushes, she stepped out of the forest and rounded the house to the front porch, where she could hear her father calling from. Stephen Proctor was standing with his hands bracing the railings, casting his gaze out over the fields beyond. His eyes snapped to Diana as soon as she became within view and he lit up at the sight of her. Jumping down the steps, he jogged towards her; he ripped the bags from her hands and threw them behind him on the stairs before catching her in a joyful, tight embrace.

“Dad,” she whispered into his shoulder.

“Diana… jesus, you have no idea how amazing it is to see you,” Stephen replied, his voice thick with emotion as he cupped her face. “Look at you… how long’s it been since we last met? It’s been just under a year for me.”

“And just over a year for me,” she told him. “A lot’s happened.”

Stephen’s lips ticked up into a smile. “Yeah, peanut, I can tell. Your magic has matured a lot since 1591… you’ve come into your own as a proper weaver. Can I assume the mystery with the manuscript page has been solved at this point in your personal timeline? Wait, no - don’t tell me anything. We don’t want to disrupt anything.” He quirked an eyebrow. “But there’s something else you’ve got to tell me about that happened in the last year. Or _somebodies_ you’ve got to tell me about. Where are Matthew and the little tykes?”

“I had a feeling Mom would know about them,” Diana laughed. She peered over her father’s shoulder curiously, trying to catch a glimpse of her mother. “Where is she?”

“She was just putting a loaf of bread in the oven. Rebecca, honey, Diana and her vampire are here!”

There was a crash from inside the house. Diana’s breath caught in her throat as her mother appeared in the doorway, feeling as if she was staring into a mirror. Her mother’s face was slightly more angular, her auburn hair glinting in the sunlight, but she appeared just how Diana remembered her a child. She could see the light radiating from the older witch with her third eye. Her mother had powerful magic, just like her, and just like her father.

“Mom,” Diana murmured.

Her mother’s eyes glistened with tears as she slowly descended the porch steps towards them. “Hi, sweetie,” she whispered.

Diana felt as if her entire world was being tilted on its axis the moment Rebecca’s arms wrapped around her in a fierce hug - but in a good way. The _best_ way. She never thought she’d be able to embrace or speak to her mother again, and yet here she was in the past, face to face with her.

“You’ve certainly had a growth spurt since I last saw you,” Rebecca joked as she stepped back, taking Diana in.

“That’s what I said when I first saw her,” Stephen chuckled, slipping his arm around his wife’s waist supportively. “Absolutely beautiful. Different hair, though - but it’s lovely, Diana, don’t get me wrong. She’s a spitting image of you when you were younger, Rebecca, don’t you reckon? Except for -”

“The eyes,” the two witches said simultaneously. “I have your eyes, we discussed this in 1591,” Diana pointed out to her father. “And I have your ears - and our scents are similar, according to Matthew.”

“Matthew,” her mother echoed, her eyes twinkling.

“My mysterious dark prince, who lives in the shadows between sunset and moonrise,” Diana said with a wry smile, quoting the stories her mother used to tell her as a child, that she now knew were not stories, but in fact visions - tales of her future, concerning her magic, spellbinding and bond with the vampire. “My mate and husband, Mom.”

“Where is he? I’d like to meet him,” Rebecca said eagerly. “And our grandchildren.”

Diana nodded and called back for him. Matthew emerged from the treeline with the twins in his arms, a slightly shaky smile on his face as he eyed Diana’s parents warily. Becca and Philip emitted hesitant noises, their little fingers clutching their father’s sweater when Matthew reached up to push their snowsuit hoods down. They looked between their grandparents with expressions of unease due to their unfamiliarity, but also curiosity, when they saw that the two witches were observing them with utter awe and reverence. Diana took Becca so that Matthew’s dominant hand was free, and he could hold it out to shake Stephen’s offered hand.

“Matthew, it’s good to see you again,” Stephen greeted him.

“As it is you, Doctor Proctor,” the vampire replied. “You’re looking well.”

“You too.”

“And you must be Rebecca Bishop.” Matthew flashed a nervous smile to her mother, who had her eyes narrowed and was glancing him up and down interestedly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Matthew.”

Diana watched on, holding her breath, as her mother shook his hand. “So you’re the vampire I can never see clearly in my visions who’s prowling around my daughter in the future.”

The spark of panic that flitted through Matthew’s eyes was hilarious. “I - I wouldn’t say ‘prowling’...”

“Relax, son,” Stephen laughed. “Rebecca’s just having you on.”

It didn’t seem like it. Rebecca was still examining him closely. “And what’s your surname?” she asked absentmindedly, turning her attention to Philip, who had wrinkled his nose up at his grandmother as he tried to understand who she was. They were soon engaged in a very intense staring match.

“Clairmont,” Matthew answered, at the same time Stephen piped up, “Roydon,” and Diana responded, “De Clermont.”

“A man of many names,” Rebecca said, sounding unimpressed. But one of the names had caught her attention. “De Clermont? Who sired you? _Monsieur_ Philippe or _Madame_ Mélisande de Clermont?”

“You know about the de Clermont family?” Diana asked, surprised.

“Every witch on the planet does, peanut,” her father said. “They’re arguably the most notorious and dangerous vampire family.” His eyes flicked between Diana and Matthew worriedly. “And you married and mated into it?”

“Diana is a de Clermont twice over,” Matthew said, somewhat proudly. “By marriage and mating through me, and by a mark declaring her bloodsworn through my father, Philippe - both were conducted in 1591. And I was sired by Mélisande,” he answered Rebecca, with an inclination of his head.

“Although we call her Ysabeau,” Diana added, “Or _Maman_.” Becca released a sharp cry in her arms, thumping her fist against her mother’s collarbone powerfully, causing Diana to wince. “I think Becca might be hungry.”

Rebecca visibly swallowed. “‘Becca’?”

“Ah, yes, introductions,” Matthew said, jumping at the opportunity to get out from Diana’s mother’s thumb. He brushed his thumb lightly over Becca’s delicate head, “This is Rebecca Arielle Emily Marthe Bishop-Clairmont, named after you, Rebecca, and this -” He hiked their son up further on his hip, angling him towards the witches. Philip cocked his head sideways at them in an eerily similar way to his father, blinking thoughtfully. “- This is Philip Michael Addison Sorley Bishop-Clairmont, named after my father. They’re seven months old and were born either side of midnight. Rebecca is a Scorpio and is very animated, and usually well-behaved unless her brother sets her off. Philip is a Sagittarius and although he seems quiet and reserved, is secretly a little troublemaker.” He bent his head down, tickling Philip’s chin. “Isn’t that right, you rascal?”

Philip squealed happily, catching his father’s hand in his own tiny ones - and immediately shoving Matthew’s fingers into his mouth. Matthew laughed and withdrew them carefully, pulling out a teething ring for him before the baby could begin to fuss. He quickly gave Becca one as well, when she unleashed a cry of outrage that her brother had received something that she hadn’t.

“They’re miraculous,” Stephen murmured. “May I -?” he held his arms out unsurely, as if he wasn’t certain whether he’d be allowed told hold them or not.

Diana plunked Becca into his arms within a second. Before Rebecca could even ask, Matthew was handing Philip over to her. Both of the babies observed the new people holding them with blank expressions, gripping onto their teething rings and gnawing at them. Philip determined that his grandmother was all right rather quickly, as he was soon leaning into her shoulder and babbling into her ear contently. Becca took a little more time to come to her conclusions about Stephen, but eventually decided that he was okay and cuddled up close to him, humming as she’d started doing recently.

Stephen and Rebecca looked to be on the verge of tears.

“I’m sorry,” Diana said, flustered. “This is all so much, so soon. We talked about not overwhelming you but I guess there’s no way to introduce you to your brightborn grandchildren that isn’t going to be overwhelming.”

Rebecca wiped at her eyes, sniffling. “No, it’s fine. I just… I’ve lived with the knowledge that we never get to watch you grow up and enjoy life for a couple years now. Stephen and I have pretty much accepted that we’re going to lose you. We never thought we’d get the chance to meet your husband or children, Diana.”

“Thank you,” Stephen whispered, his cheek resting against Becca’s head.

Diana smiled, rocking back on her heels when Matthew came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and propping his chin on top of her head. “It’s the least we could do.”

They headed inside after that, as it was starting to snow again. The house shook in greeting, the rickety doors trembling in their frames and picture frames quivering on the walls. It was a friendly welcome, so they weren’t very worried. There were no ghosts to be seen today, however, which was off. Maybe they’d decided to give the family their own space for the next couple of days.

Diana and Matthew were going to stay in Em and Sarah’s room, and two pop-up cot boxes had been set up in there for the twins as well. Even though they hadn’t asked yet if it were possible for them to stay over the weekend, Diana’s parents had assumed they would be, and had set up accordingly. After dropping their bags in the room, changing Becca and Philip into more appropriate indoor clothes and also changing their diapers, they gathered in the family room, where Rebecca and Stephen were pouring tea.

Stephen cleared out a shelf of the fridge for the twins’ milk bottles. He’d also got some of Diana’s old bottles out of storage in preparation, as well as a thermometer for checking the temperature after heating the milk up. He was planning on going into town to go grocery shopping later on, and asked Diana and Matthew to add whatever items they wanted, for them or the twins, onto the list; they wrote down some appropriate foods they could make into baby food for Becca and Philip, and Matthew requested a couple of steaks from the butcher’s for the upcoming days.

Grabbing bottles and burping clothes for the babies, they handed them off to their grandparents, who were all too enthusiastic about feeding them. Stephen, who was feeding Becca, frowned when he saw the reddish-pink tint to her milk, but didn’t say anything; Diana wondered if he’d already worked out that they’d supplemented the pumped breast milk with her blood for nutrition.

While the twins were being fed, Diana and Matthew explained how their timewalking trip had worked, about stopping the displacement of toddler Diana by using an especially woven spell, and placing the four of them in a pocket dimension to reduce any time distortion. They then gave them some of the details about their current lives as a family, without giving too many spoilers away. They updated Stephen on Jack and told them about Marcus, and the extended de Clermont family. Rebecca and Stephen were fascinated. Diana explained about her academic situation, although she didn’t say a word about the fact she was working on the Congregation. Matthew informed them about his and Chris’ research projects, but didn’t mention blood rage or anything specific about the cross-species investigations they were doing - although Stephen and Rebecca swiftly picked up on the emphasis that Becca and Philips’ existences were by no means possible by normal biological nature.

“So they’re both hybrids?” Rebecca questioned. “Half vampire, half witch?”

“That’s what their genetic tests are indicating, yes,” Matthew nodded. Rebecca had definitely warmed to him after he’d taught her how to make Philip laugh insanely by blowing gently on his toes. “The proper term is ‘brightborn’, although Diana likes to call them vampitches.”

“They shouldn’t be possible,” Rebecca murmured, amazed and shaking her head as she gazed warmly down at Philip, who was suckling at his bottle ravenously.

“It’s got something to do with Diana being a weaver, hasn’t it?” Stephen asked.

Matthew glanced over at Diana. “It… does,” he agreed warily.

“And something to do you with you?”

The vampire swallowed, not knowing what to say.

Diana spared him from answering. “Matthew doesn’t want to give away too much. You two can’t know too much about the future. There are a lot of things we can’t explain. The book that the picture you currently have in your possession was sourced from, for example. We can’t tell you anything about.”

Stephen appeared disappointed. “The page is in my study right now. I’m presuming that means you can’t inform us what the book is about?”

“We already know some,” Rebecca said, shooting her husband a look. “The page we have of the alchemical wedding - the white queen and dark king, which can be interpreted as mercury and sulfur - they represent you and Matthew, in _conjunctio_. And the twins indicate the next step in transmutation, _conceptio_. You two had children. Is the book about creature reproduction?”

“We can’t answer that,” Matthew told her shortly.

Diana’s eyes widened. “Wait, this is bad,” she suddenly realized. “We’re visiting you now - but you hadn’t met Matthew at all when you wrote -” Her jaw clamped shut. Her parents hadn’t even written the note she’d found with the page yet, when the Bishop house had revealed it to her and Matthew, years ago now. “This is wrong. Even with my spell making sure there’s no displacement, we’re changing things. We shouldn’t be here.” She looked over at Matthew, panicked. “We’re seriously impacting the timeline.”

“Rebecca and I aren’t stupid,” Stephen interjected hastily. “We know not to mention Matthew by name - we have to pretend as if we don’t know him at all. And we have to act as if we’ve never met adult you, or the kids, or know anything about the future.”

“Can you do that?” she asked, her voice trembling. Becca and Philip squirmed on their grandparents' laps, pulling away from their half-empty bottles with sounds of concern as they turned towards their mother, sensing her distress.

“It’s all right, pumpkin,” Rebecca reassured her. “We know this is a huge risk you’ve taken, coming back here with Matthew and the children, and we know we have to pretend as if none of this has happened. We won’t let it impact the timeline at all.”

“I’m keeping a close eye on all our time threads,” Stephen nodded. “So far, they’re vibrating a bit, not nowhere near close to snapping. You’re safe, peanut. I promise.”

Diana exhaled, closing her eyes and checking the time threads herself. Her father was right - they were vibrating and taut, but secure. Her spell to separate their personal timelines and stop any displacement was working - and if her parents really did as they said they were going to, then everything should be fine. Matthew rubbed her back soothingly, drawing her closer into his side on the couch.

“So, knowing that your father and I are going to be extra careful not to disrupt the timeline in any way,” Rebecca said calmly, “Do you want to take off that glamour spell you’re wearing, Diana?”

Diana froze. Of course her parents would be able to see the magic surrounding her. “Actually… no,” she replied softly. “Seeing how I’ve changed… might be a little bit too much for the fabric of reality to handle.”

“You weren’t wearing a glamour in 1591,” Stephen pointed out. “Reality didn’t fracture when I saw you then.”

She offered her father a weak smile. “I’ve changed since then, Dad. If you saw me now, for who I truly am…” _The Book of Life itself, the most powerful weaver to exist, a lightning rod of pure magic and the Goddess’ Chosen_ , “Trust me, I think it’s better I keep this glamour on. What I am hiding behind it, I’m hiding for very good reasons.”

Rebecca looked uncertain, but was distracted by Philip whining impatiently, trying to grab at his bottle again. She stopped asking further questions and resumed feeding him. “My grandson is definitely a good eater,” she commented with a smile.

“They both enjoy their milk and food. Becca can be fussier at times,” Matthew said.

“Fussy meaning she has to be fed blood?” Stephen asked, with a sharp look. He had recognized what the tint to her milk was caused by, then. “Half witch, half vampire… but the vampire part is more pronounced in her genes, I’m guessing.”

“Philip has to be fed blood as well, but not as frequently as Becca,” Diana sighed. “Becca actually needs the blood for development... Philip not so much. I supplement Becca’s everyday milk bottles with my blood. Philip gets blood in his milk as well every so often, but less than Becca.”

Rebecca snuck Matthew a suspicious look. “Are they the only members of your family who feed off your blood?” she asked delicately.

Diana stared at her in disbelief. “Wow, Mom,” she deadpanned. “Subtle, much?”

“Well?”

Matthew squeezed her knee, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “I’ve got this one, _mon coeur_.” Turning to face her parents head-on, the vampire informed them solemnly, “Yes, I have fed off Diana before. With her consent - and usually at her insistence. Only once has my feeding from her ever put her life in danger, and that was because I was half-dead at that point and I took more blood than I should have, by accident.”

“And that was with me force-feeding you,” Diana reminded him. “Every other time, you’ve been extremely careful. Not there have been many other times. It’s kind of annoying, actually. Ysabeau told me that mates normally feed off each other every week or so - I’m lucky to have you feed off me once every three months.”

“Lucky?” Stephen echoed, his eyes wide.

Diana blushed. “It’s... intimate. The most highly regarded declaration of trust between mates.”

“So it’s like sex for vampires?” Rebecca asked flatly.

“No… vampires have normal sex,” Matthew said. “How else do you think Becca and Philip were produced? Through blood-sharing? That’s scientifically impossible. Diana and I enjoy sex just like any regular married couple would.”

Diana resisted the urge to punch her husband in the arm, just hissing, “ _Matthew!_ ”

Stephen was far too intrigued by all of this.“So blood sharing - it’s like super-sex for vampires?”

“Can we stop talking about sex?” Diana begged, her cheeks red and face hot from mortification. “Please? This is not what I want to be discussing with my parents.” Becca spat out the nipple of her bottle, which was now empty, twisting in Stephen’s grip to reach out demandingly for her mother. “Saved by my daughter. Thank the goddess. Come on, Becca, let’s go wash up this bottle in the kitchen so _Mémére_ and _Pépère_ can interrogate Papa about our sex life in private, how about that?”

Matthew looked horrified. “Diana, _no_.”

“Diana, _yes_ ,” she muttered, almost running out the room with Becca giggling over her shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .... Ya I know I should have updated sooner, I'm sorry, please don't be mad.

When Matthew joined her in the kitchen approximately five minutes later, looking pale and withdrawn, Diana tried not to think about what her parents might have asked him to cause him to appear that way. He handed over Philip’s empty bottle, picked up Becca to drop her off back with her grandparents, and soon it was just the two of them standing over the sink, rinsing out baby bottles while the twins played with Rebecca and Stephen a couple of rooms away.

“They gave me ‘The Talk’,” he finally told her, “As soon as you left. You know, the ‘if you hurt our daughter, you’ll eternally regret it’ speech. They couldn’t exactly give distinct threats because they know they’re not there for you when we first meet. But Rebecca assured me she’ll be watching over you in the future.”

“It’s a little late now,” Diana muttered, drying her hands with a patchwork dish towel. “You can’t really give the shovel talk after your daughter has married and had two kids.”

Matthew frowned. “You’re upset.”

“No,” she shook her head, looking out the window. But then after thinking on it for a brief second, Diana admitted, “Yes,” and turned to hug him.

Despite the vampire’s naturally cold skin, the embrace he gave her was warm and tender. One of his hands came up to stroke over her hair, the other splaying out over her hip in a possessive, protective manner. “I didn’t tell Rebecca and Stephen anything about our sex life, if that’s what’s concerning you.”

“No, it’s… I was thinking about the letter my mother wrote to us when we found the first missing page of Ashmole 782.” Her fingers curled into Matthew’s sweater. “They’ve spellbound me at this point.”

Matthew emitted a quiet, “Oh,” of realization. His arms tightened around her. Diana had communicated her feelings of betrayal, anger and bitter disappointment towards her parents on the subject of her spellbinding as a child to the vampire before, but had never been face to face with them, with the actual opportunity to confront them. “Are you going to ask them about it?”

“I don’t know,” she murmured. “This trip was so they could meet you and the twins, not so I could shout at them about a binding spell that you’ve already broken.”

“It’s not broken in this time. Out near Niagara Falls right now, there’s a five-year-old Diana Bishop spending the weekend with her aunts - who is very securely spellbound, and has absolutely no idea about it,” Matthew said gently. “You have to have some emotions you’d like to express to your parents about that. You can’t bottle them up inside, _mon coeur_. It’s not healthy.”

Diana knew it wasn’t healthy, and could already feel the anxiety building up inside of her, making her fingers twitch and tingle with electricity and the beginnings of a witchwind clawing at her chest. The owl-feather fletched arrow from the Goddess poked into her shoulder blade. That was something she definitely needed to keep secret from her parents. There were so many things left unsaid and unsolved between them all - Diana felt as if the writhing ball of tension that was sitting uncomfortably on top of her lungs was going to explode out of her at any moment. She could sense how agitated her mother and father’s magic were as well; as much as they tried to hide it, as a weaver, Diana could see all of their life threads. Their black and red threads were quivering with concern and unease.

Stephen left in the late afternoon to go grocery shopping, leaving Diana, Matthew and the twins with Rebecca. Diana’s mother was perfectly content to sit on the floor of the family room and play with Becca and Philip for hours on end, pulling out some of her toddler!Diana’s toys for them to mess around with. Philip was thrilled with the box of large foam Lego blocks that Rebecca procured, and with his grandmother’s help, began building a wall around Becca, who was happily playing with a light-up plastic snow globe. Diana and Matthew sat on the floor next to each other with their legs stretched out, leaning back on the front of the couch. Matthew would wiggle his toes every so often in a way that always entranced Becca and caused her to try and grab at them, releasing squeals whenever she caught them.

Rebecca could obviously sense that something was off with Diana, because she addressed Matthew more than her when asking about the twins’ developments, casting her nervous and worried glances but never actually asking what was wrong. Diana didn’t know if that relieved or frustrated her more. Her mother felt awkward around her and that was only natural, but it was as if Rebecca didn’t want to overstep by jumping back into a maternal role around her grown-up daughter. It reminded Diana of how her father had acted when they’d met up with him in 1591.

When Stephen arrived back home, he asked for Diana’s help in the kitchen to prepare dinner while Matthew and Rebecca fed the children again. The butcher had only had a lamb rack left by the time he’d got there, so Stephen had ordered a large beef shank and a venison steak to pick up tomorrow. Diana was touched by her father’s eagerness to be able to feed Matthew properly. He’d also bought a packet of cranberries and mixed nuts, knowing that apex predators usually ate those as part of their wild diet as well. Stephen chopped potatoes and carrots while Diana seasoned and seared the lamb, slicing a large section of blue meat off for her husband before placing it in the oven to cook. For Becca and Philip, she prepared a mash of apples, butternut squash and spinach (with a dash of blood from the lamb).

Stephen insisted on having everything covered, telling her to return back to the family room. Matthew had just finished feeding and burping Philip and was heading upstairs to place him down for a nap. Diana grimaced when she saw that her mother was struggling to get Becca to take her milk, the baby fussing and whimpering in her arms.

“She’s hungry but she’s not drinking,” Rebecca said, sounding distressed when Diana approached and took her daughter from the witch’s arms, shushing her gently until she calmed.

“Can I have her bottle?” Rebecca handed it over to her hastily. Diana examined the marker pen writing on the side of it. She and Matthew had taken to writing on the bottles discretely to show who the bottles were for, and the concentration of blood in them. “This is one of Philip’s bottles,” she explained. “It doesn’t have enough blood in it for her to stomach it properly.”

Rebecca looked relieved. “Oh. I must have picked up the wrong one from the fridge for her. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. Matthew and I have a bottle marking system but it’s hard for others to understand when we haven’t explained it. Here.” Diana handed Becca back over, stroking her thumb over her daughter’s brow to soothe her. “I’ll go and get one of her bottles.”

She didn’t want to mention it to her mother, but Becca should have been able to stomach the contents of Philip’s bottle just fine - it was one of his higher blood concentration ones. She was concerned, because that perhaps indicated that Becca needed another direct blood feeding soon, despite having had one quite recently. The idea of having her parents watch their granddaughter drinking blood from Diana’s arm was not a pleasant one.

“That bottle should have been fine for Becca,” Matthew said quietly, when they met on the stairs after Diana had dropped off a bottle with more blood in it than the one her daughter was being fed before. “I checked it myself. That means -”

“Yes,” she nodded. Diana quickly glanced back over her shoulder, into the kitchen where her father was glazing the carrots with hot honey. “I don’t want them to see.”

Matthew shook his head. “We can’t keep a secret like this from your parents, Diana. You’re hiding your emotions - I’m hiding mine - we’re withholding information about the future from them… the tension rising at the moment is the rain at the start of a hurricane. The only way we can reach the eye is by fighting through it together.”

“Good thing that I can control the wind then,” Diana said, moving away back to the family room.

The vampire caught her arm, releasing a soft growl. “ _Diana_.”

“I’ll talk to them, Matthew,” she allowed. “But not tonight.”

They ate an hour and a half later and then they retired to bed early, as parents often did when they had young children. Diana and Matthew curled up under the blankets in the darkness of Em and Sarah’s room, the witch trying not to think about the scent of winterbloom hanging in the air which she associated with Emily, as she knew if she pondered on it, she would begin to miss her too much once again. That was one of the other things they were hiding from her parents - that Em was dead in the future.

Becca and Philip must have been able to sense her sadness because they slept fitfully, waking every hour or so and crying, forcing Matthew to get up to comfort them. The floorboards groaned and the walls thudded each time, the house expressing its exasperation at the twins’ restlessness. The fourth time they woke up wailing, Stephen stumbled into the bedroom with exhausted, bloodshot eyes, asking if everything was alright.

“It’s just an unfamiliar environment to them,” Matthew whispered to him, as if he was trying not to wake Diana up despite the fact that she was lying and staring at the ceiling at this point, insomnia plaguing her. “They’ll quieten down for tomorrow night. I’m terribly sorry.”

Stephen waved it off. “Nonsense. Just let Rebecca and I know if we can do anything to help, all right?”

Diana rolled over in bed to face him. “Can you…” She wiggled her fingers tiredly. She usually hated using magic on the twins but they needed to sleep, and a calming spell would work well on them. She was just too weary to stand.

Stephen frowned. “Yes, I suppose, but is that safe? It won’t hurt them?”

“Diana’s used similar spells on them before,” Matthew said. “If she says it’s okay, it’s okay.” At this point, despite needing little sleep as a vampire, he just wanted to be able to stay in bed as well.

They watched as Stephen gently stroked his fingertips over each of their children’s foreheads, whispering hushedly under his breath. Within seconds, they were sleeping soundly. Diana wanted to weep with joy but settled on thanking her father profusely. Matthew was asleep before his head hit the pillow and Diana followed him into unconsciousness soon after that, his cool body pressed against hers.

The twins didn’t wake again until early the next morning. Diana shot up in bed as soon as she heard Becca start sniffling, her maternal instincts whirring. Her daughter was standing up in her makeshift crib, gazing over at her with tear-filled eyes. Philip wasn’t crying yet, but if he heard his sister, he would soon begin to. Matthew shifted minutely with a soft sigh, still asleep, as Diana carefully clambered out of bed, slipped her feet into socks, yanked on one of his sweaters and scooped Becca up into her arms. It was freezing in the house as there wasn’t any heating - just a fire in a grate that hadn’t been lit yet and candles scattered throughout the rooms. She took the baby downstairs quickly, recognizing her crying as meaning she was hungry. But she wouldn’t take any of the bottles Diana offered her.

“What do you want, _chérie_?” she murmured, rocking the baby back and forth. “Come on, Becca, give me something to work with here. Mommy wants to help but you need to show me what you need.” Becca stopped crying long enough to mouth at Diana’s arm, her little developing baby teeth scraping at the skin there. It wasn’t normal hunger bothering her - it was bloodthirst. “Shit…”

Matthew would wake up the moment Diana’s blood hit the air and his mad dash down the stairs would undoubtedly wake her parents up as well. But it was 5am and there wasn’t another option. Becca needed to be fed, so she would be fed.

Barely seconds after the cut was made and Becca latched on, Matthew was dashing downstairs in a blur, his hair looking very much like a bird’s nest and his eyes wide with panic, flitting over her as he searched her for injuries. Once he realized what Diana was doing, he dropped his tense shoulders with a sigh, sliding onto the couch next to her.

“You’re only meant to do this with somebody else present,” he said.

“I knew you’d come,” she shrugged, watching her daughter’s throat convulse as she gulped down mouthfuls of warm, iron-rich witch blood. Matthew gently adjusted Becca’s head with one hand. “Do you think we woke up my parents?”

“Your father is still sleeping - your mother is coming down the stairs now,” her husband answered, glancing over in that direction.

When Rebecca walked in, a myriad of expressions past over her face; first confusion and curiosity, then horrified realization, followed by more bemusement, wariness, and reluctant acceptance. Her eyes snapped between Diana and Matthew suspiciously before her gaze finally wandered down to her granddaughter. Diana watched her mother cautiously for any trace of disgust or fear, but relaxed when she saw none.

“So the twins don’t just ingest blood through having it mixed with your breastmilk in bottles, huh?” Rebecca asked weakly.

“You can go,” Diana said. “You don’t have to watch this. I know it turns most people’s stomachs.”

Rebecca sat down in one of the armchairs. “I’m fine,” she responded, and her voice was steady. “How often do Becca and Philp have to… um…”

“Draw from Diana directly?” Matthew finished for her. The vampire gave a small, reassuring smile, rising to strike a match and light the candles on the countertop and kindling in the fire. Within half a minute, he had a roaring blaze going, although that was partly due to Diana pushing a spark of witchfire into the dry wood. “Twice a week for Becca, once a fortnight for Philip.”

Eyeing the spot where the baby’s lips were latched onto Diana’s skin, Rebecca asked, “Does it hurt?”

“She’s teething, so she’s a bit nippy.” Diana slid her finger beneath Becca’s mouth to release the suction pressure. A droplet of dark crimson blood trickled down her arm. “It doesn’t hurt normally, though, no. I can numb the area with a spell. I feel tired afterward and sometimes a little dizzy, but that’s why I have somebody sit with me to make sure I’m safe.” Swiping the drop of blood with the tip of her thumb, she offered it to her husband. “Waste not, want not.”

Matthew gently took hold of her hand, sucked the drop of blood off and then settled their joint hands over Becca’s back. “Probably shouldn’t have done that in front of your mother, Diana.”

“Mom doesn’t mind,” Diana snuck her a glance. “Do you?”

Becca broke off and turned towards her grandmother with a faint growl, as Rebecca rose from her seat and slowly approached to perch on the other side of Diana to Matthew. It came off as a warning snarl, although whether that was to make sure she gave the right answer, or alert her that she was getting too close to the baby’s precious blood source - they’d noticed Becca was starting to get territorial when it came to food - Diana and Matthew didn’t know. But it triggered Rebecca to laugh.

“Don’t worry, Becca-bug, I’m not going to take away your mommy’s blood or get angry with your parents,” she told the toddler.

“Becca-bug?” Matthew repeated with amusement.

“Stephen and I have given everybody nicknames. Becca here is Becca-bug. Philip is Pippin. Diana is pumpkin, or peanut. You… we haven’t decided yet, but you’re either going to be Matty or Dark Prince.”

“I’d prefer just to be called Matthew,” the vampire muttered.

“What are yours and Dad’s nicknames?” Diana wondered.

Rebecca winked. “Delicate ears in the room, Diana. Wouldn’t be appropriate to tell you.”

Diana wrinkled her nose. “Ew.”

Rebecca and Diana made breakfast together while Matthew tended to the twins, having a full layout of bacon, sausages, grilled tomatoes, hash browns and toast ready by the time Stephen woke up and made his way downstairs. Matthew enjoyed a glass of Riesling while they ate, bouncing Becca and Philip on his knees.

“I need to make a couple of calls,” Matthew announced, draining his wine and standing. He deposited the twins on their grandparents’ laps. “Rebecca, Stephen, do you mind if I use the landline?”

“Not at all,” Stephen answered.

“Thank you. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

“Who is he calling?” Rebecca asked, once the vampire had vacated the room. “Surely in this time, there can’t be anybody he needs to contact.”

“I think he wants to check that this time’s Matthew is doing what he’s meant to be doing,” Diana replied, sipping at her tea.

“That makes sense,” Stephen nodded. But then he winced, placing his hand on his chest.

Diana ran her eyes over him worriedly. “Dad? You’re not having a heart attack or something, right?”

“Bennu,” he murmured. “He’s annoyed at being cooped up. Usually I let him out for a fly in the mornings.”

“Let him fly.” Diana finished off her toast, licking the crumbs from her fingers and taking her plate to the sink. Taking Philip from her father and propping him on her lap, she continued, “I would let Corra out to join him, but I released her a couple of months ago - well, by my time.”

“Corra?” Rebecca echoed.

“You didn’t tell her?” Diana questioned her father, surprised.

“It’s a weaver thing. Rebecca said weaver things are just for you and me to share,” Stephen responded with a shrug.

“Well, Corra was my familiar, a firedrake,” Diana explained. “I ended up setting her free though after mastering my weaver abilities.”

“Do you think the twins will have familiars?”

She frowned. “If they’re weavers, it’s highly likely they will,” she replied carefully. “But we don’t know if they are.” Seeing the way her father was twitching, she encouraged him, “Let Bennu out for a fly. Becca and Philip will love him.”

The gleaming heron burst free from Stephen’s chest with a flurry of silver wings. Perching atop the man’s leg, the heron ruffled out his feathers, a faint blue hue of watery magic streaming out of his beautiful tail feathers and flowing down Stephen’s back. Becca and Philip immediately gasped in awe, reaching up their tiny hands. Bennu chirped and fluttered down to the floor. He allowed the twins to stroke over his feathers, glowing softly with power.

“Hello,” Diana greeted him, holding out her hand for the heron to nudge his head into. The familiar recognized her, arching and tucking his wings happily. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” The smile faded from her face. “I wish Corra were here. She would love to see him again.”

“Do weavers only ever take one familiar?” Rebecca asked. “You could take on another.”

“Weavers gain their familiar after weaving and casting their own first spell. As far as I’m aware, that familiar stays with the weaver for life, unless they release them. Diana could take on an animal companion, but not another familiar, I don’t think,” Stephen said.

“I wouldn’t want another anyway,” Diana mused. “Corra was my one and only.”

Rebecca smirked. “Maybe you could adopt a herd of stags and a pack of wolves, like your namesake.”

“No deer. Matthew eats deer for breakfast. Literally,” Diana chuckled. “And for lunch and dinner as well, when he gets the chance.”

“And we already have a wolf living in our house in our time,” Matthew said, walking back into the kitchen. He dropped kisses on the twins’ heads and then gently lifted Diana’s chin to press his lips to hers. “No more wolves, please, _mon coeur_.”

“You have a pet wolf?”

“Our family has three dogs,” Diana rolled her eyes. “Matthew has his hunting hounds, Fallon and Hector, and our son Jack has a Komondor, a Hungarian guard dog named Lobero. Lobero is almost as big a wolf and definitely as heavy as one so that’s what Matthew likes to call him. He’s also been called a beast before.”

“We were thinking of getting a dog, to grow up with you and keep you safe,” Stephen said with a grin. “Sarah protested, of course. She said that if anybody in the Bishop family was ever going to get a pet, they should get a cat.”

Thinking of Tabitha, her aunt’s tabby cat who hated her with a passion but loved Matthew, Diana smiled. “She would say that.”

Stephen took the twins and Bennu out for a walk in the woods to escape dishwashing and drying duties while the rest of them cleaned up. When he arrived back, his heron familiar had been reabsorbed, apparently content after his flight around the forest. He and Rebecca then insisted on looking after Becca and Philip for a couple of hours so Matthew and Diana could enjoy some time to themselves. The witch and vampire decided to take a stroll around the woods themselves, losing themselves in the quietness of nature, hand in hand.

(They ended up having a very heavy make-out session against a tree, Diana’s legs wrapped around Matthew’s waist and her shirt hiked up as he trailed freezing fingers over her back to make her gasp. The mood was ruined, however, when a mound of snow fell from a jostled branch onto their heads and down the back of Diana’s collar.)

Diana’s parents shot them unimpressed but amused looks when they returned to the Bishop house with slightly swollen lips, red cheeks and ruffled, wet clothing. Swallowing her embarrassment, Diana busied herself with making raspberry rice pudding to feed to the twins for lunch, listening to her husband discuss the new Walt Disney World that had just opened in Florida with her mother.

Stephen went out to pick up the meats he’d ordered from the butcher’s. When he came back an hour later with the two plastic bags, he had a concerned, solemn expression on his face. “I ran into the O’Neils,” he told them. “It’s the new moon tonight and Sarah told them last month they could come and pick some feverfew and coltsfoot from her herb garden at twilight for some of their New Year good luck charms.”

“What did you tell them?” Rebecca asked.

“I couldn’t exactly tell them no, could I? They could already tell by my aura that something was up. If I told them they couldn’t come, they would probably call the coven in to investigate.”

“So they’re coming?”

“Yes.”

“Shit,” Rebecca said, and it was the most serious Diana had heard her mother since they arrived.

“It’s fine,” Diana said. “I can weave an invisibility spell for Matthew, the twins and I. They won’t see or find us.”

“That’s not going to work,” Rebecca shook her head. “They’ll know we have a vampire on the property as soon as they step past your father’s wards. And even with your glamour on, you have a huge magical presence, Diana - they’ll be able to detect you from a mile away. You’ll need to hide out in the woods.”

“I can weave a spell to shield us,” she protested. “It will be fine.”

Stephen wouldn’t accept that. “Your mother is right, peanut. You’ll need to leave the property and stay out of the wards. It will only be for an hour or two. We’ll come and get you once the O’Neils have gone.”

Her frustration flared. “You’re not listening to me -”

“Diana, even if you do weave a shield spell to hide you, Matthew and the twins, the O’Neils will be able to sense such a giant magical glamour being in place.” He peered around anxiously. “You shouldn’t use any magic in the house anymore - at least not for the rest of the day. It’ll leave traces behind and be detectable.”

Diana stared at her father in disbelief. “You’re forbidding me to use magic?”

“It’s for your own good,” her father tried.

But Diana’s anger had overtaken her, and she took a threatening step forward. “And what are you gonna do if I _do_ use magic? Spellbind me?” she spat. “ _Again?_ ”

Her father looked as if she’d just slapped him. Her mother had her hands covering her mouth in shock and shame, her eyes filled with tears.

Diana turned and stormed away without a second thought.

As Diana strode off, she heard Matthew call her name quietly, but ignored him, just picking up Philip in her arms and striding out of the house. Becca was sitting on her father’s lap and she didn’t want to look Matthew in the eye after her outburst at her parents. She was too emotional and she knew that if she saw an ounce in disappointment in her husband’s gaze, she would burst into tears.

She stalked through the snow over to the hay barn, let herself inside and then sank down into the frosty straw against the wall, Philip cradled to her chest. Her breaths stuttered and uneven, Diana tipped her head back and struggled not to cry. Philip moaned and buried his face in his mother’s neck, trying to comfort her, but it was no use.

Diana hadn’t meant to say it - yet, she had. She’d squashed all of her fury and fear and misery down, unwilling to accept and understand her feelings, but now it was impossible to keep them contained. Like Matthew had said, it was unhealthy to keep them all bottled up; she couldn’t control them anymore. Her head felt like a boulder on top of her body, thick and fuzzy, while her heart ached and muscles refused to respond to her brain. Diana hugged her son tightly, panting and fighting back her panic attack.

She could sense Matthew coming, hear the crunching of the snow under his feet. Diana pushed herself to her feet, closing her eyes and swallowing at the dizziness that washed over her. Keeping Philip held securely in her arms, she floated carefully up into the rafters of the barn, picking out one of the sturdier support beams to land on. Her husband was alone, which was a relief, as she would have no idea what to say to her parents, but Diana wasn’t particularly looking forward to having a conversation with him about what had just happened either.

She’d curled up in the corner where two support beams met the wall, creating a cozy nook, when the vampire stepped inside. His gaze immediately rose to find her as he inhaled deeply. Matthew stood for a moment, seemingly debating what he should do. He settled on slowly clambering up into the loft and sitting down beside her.

They sat in silence for a moment. Diana found that the anxiety clenching at her was loosening, falling away. Matthew wasn’t passing judgment on her at all and was just there to support her. His cold side pressing into hers was a reminder that no matter what happened or where they were, Matthew would always have her back.

“Give me Philip,” he requested softly. “He’s shivering.”

Guilt striking her, she passed Philip over to Matthew, who babbled excitedly and grasped onto his father’s sweater. The baby was indeed shaking from the cold. Matthew gently freed his sweater from Philip’s hand so he could shed it quickly and use it as a blanket to wrap him up. Diana pulled off her own sweater (which was actually Matthew’s) and handed it over to use a blanket for Philip as well, before the witch coiled up into a protective ball, hugging her knees. She didn’t mind being cold; her magic was coiled up in her chest acting like an internal space heater, radiating warmth through her veins.

“What happened after I left?” she asked, her voice small. “My parents…”

“They were upset,” Matthew told her. “But not because of you. For you. Spellbinding you as a child has been haunting them for several years now and I don’t imagine they ever thought you would get the chance to confront them about it. They asked me what it was like when you found out; how, where, why and what your reaction was.”

“Did you tell them?”

“As much as I could,” he replied. “Is that all right?”

“I wouldn’t be able to talk much about it anyway,” Diana muttered. “I’m always going to be angry that I was half myself for my entire life up until that point I met you, and that was their doing. But I know they were trying to keep me safe - that they _did_ keep me safe. Everything with Ashmole 782, Peter Knox, Satu, and the Congregation would have been a thousand times worse if the witches knew the true extent of my powers. So I understand why they spellbound me. I honestly do. But it’s always going to sting.”

“I told them that,” Matthew responded. “That you understand why they did it. I think that might have actually upset them more. It’s worse for them to know they’ve done something awful to you to protect you, and even though you appreciate why they did it, you’re understandably furious with them.”

“I don’t know really how I feel.”

“Angry,” the vampire said quietly. “And sad, and anxious. I can smell it.”

“I haven’t felt this anxious since before I met you,” she admitted.

Even with their two sweaters blanketing him, Philip was shivering, so Matthew took him back to the house to warm up and dress him in his snowsuit. He asked Diana if she wanted to come back with him, but Diana shook her head and said she wanted a couple more minutes of quietness in the barn. She couldn’t face her parents so immediately after what happened. Content to remain up in the barn’s support beams, despite the bitter cold, Diana occupied herself by trying out some new knots with her weaver cords.

She must have lost track of time when attempting to link a double tenth knot together, because soon Matthew was back with both of the twins in their snowsuits and a jacket, gloves, scarf, and hat for Diana. It was late afternoon, approaching onto early evening, and the O’Neils would be arriving at the house in half an hour or so. The vampire had the great idea of wandering out into the forest - beyond the Bishop boundary - and building a campfire for the evening to sit around with the kids. He had to traverse back to the house to grab a backpack full of blankets, the venison steak, and pots of baby food for Becca and Philip, as well as a shovel for clearing snow. The shovel was left behind, though, once Diana pointed out she could just use a spell to get rid of it.

They only had to walk around twenty minutes into the forest to find a nice, small clearing deep within the woodland that was beyond the Bishop property protection spell, where they wouldn’t be detected by the O’Neils. They pulled out one of the blankets and dropped the twins down on top of it with their teething rings so they could get to work. Diana cleared the snow and dried the ground with a spell made up on the spot and then began gathering kindling for the fire while Matthew built a little shelter for the twins to sit inside, to shield them from the wind, as well as a ring of large rocks for the fire to be set up in. It was already getting darker and colder. The vampire might be able to withstand the dropping temperatures, and the twins would be resilient due to the vampire blood in them, but Diana knew that they needed to get the fire started soon otherwise she was going to freeze to death.

Diana and Matthew worked together, the witch providing the sparks to light the tinder as Matthew tended to the flames carefully, ensuring they had enough oxygen and fuel. Once the blaze was steady, they set a couple of larger logs around the edges that would burn smokelessly and settled down into the shelter with the twins on their laps. It was a simple shelter made of two tripods with a pole balanced between them and a blanket thrown over the top; it was a bit of a squeeze to get all of them in, only because Matthew was so tall, but it blocked off the wind pretty well, keeping them and the fire safe from the cold breeze.

They would have to wait a good while for the fire to die down into white coals, that would be hot enough to sear and cook the venison on. Meanwhile, they fed Philip and Becca their food from the pots Matthew had picked up. After her feeding that morning, Becca wasn’t particularly hungry and most of the spinach, broccoli and squash mix ended up on her face rather than in her mouth.

“We should do this again when we get home, with the rest of the scion,” Diana said, wiping Becca’s mouth off with her bib. “Jack and Marcus would really enjoy this. Maybe we could turn it into a family camping and hunting trip. We could travel up to Canada for the week and rent out one of those lakeside cabins.”

Matthew poked a long stick at the wood, which crackled as the flames licked at it. “That’s a lovely idea. It would work well when we start teaching the children how to hunt. We’d start them off on small mammals of course, like whitetail and mule deer fawns, maybe some hares and weasels. Slowly build up them to the bigger animals and predators such as foxes, wolverines and mountain lions. Jack’s never hunted with a wolf pack before, so I’m excited for him to try that. Marcus will revel in teaching him and the children how to take down a moose or, heaven forbid, a grizzly bear.”

“You know it’s not normal for a father to be so enthusiastic about his kids hunting a 1200 pound animal in the future.”

“Our family has never been normal,” Matthew said, quirking an amused eyebrow.

“Touché. But you cannot let Sarah know under any circumstances that your son will be teaching his baby sister how to attack a grizzly bear. She’ll throttle Marcus, then you, and then me.”

Matthew grinned. “My mother will be delighted. She was immensely proud of me when I took down my first lynx. She’ll be ecstatic when the twins start hunting.”

“Ysabeau would be,” she sighed.

They fell into a comfortable, amiable silence once again, cuddling the twins while leaning into each other’s sides. The fire kept Diana warm despite the cold wind and Matthew’s freezing skin, and it was nice to have the nature surrounding them. Thinking about the situation they were in, however, just reminded the witch of why exactly they needed to be here in the forest - and made her start thinking about her parents again.

“Do you think they regret it?” Diana asked suddenly.

“You mean your parents, spellbinding you?”

“Yes.”

“No,” he said honestly. “I think they would’ve if they’d spellbound you for life, but they tied it to need, and me. They knew your magic would be freed eventually.” He paused. “I think they regret the pain it caused you. Seeing you as an adult, grown up with a family and full control of your weaver abilities, they finally understand what exactly their decision has done to you - and will do to the child they’re currently raising.”

The witch picked at her nails nervously. “I don’t want them to apologize. There wouldn’t be any point.” She shot him a sharp look. “I’m not apologizing to them either. I refuse to suppress my magic in any capacity anymore - my dad was out of line basically ordering me not to use my powers.”

“I agree,” Matthew said. “But you do need to have a conversation with them about this, Diana.”

“I know.” _But not anytime soon_ , she thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed reading.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr @discoveriesofbishmont


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